Rating: 
Summary: a wonderful visual complement to a great book series
Review: This truly was a movie based on the books. This means that people who see it will have to have half a brain and more than the usual 90 minute movie attention span to appreciate it. Many people complain that if the book wasn't read beforehand the movie was unfollowable. I disagree. I had read The Fellowship of the Ring years before and barely remembered it at all going into the movie, and had no problems at all. I found myself just as spellbound as my friends next to me (who know the books by heart). The movie inspired me to reread the whole series. For me one of the biggest pluses of this movie was how un-entertainment value oriented it was. Phil Jackson didn't throw in stupid cheap effects like so many movies do to add "entertainment value." The violence in the books could have been abused in a gory manner. While some scenes still were not for the faint-at-heart, everything was done tastefully. This movie coming out around the same time as Harry Potter saddens me, because there are many incorrect and unfair comparisons made. While I love the Harry Potter books as much as the next person (though I found the movie somewhat disappointing), many people seem to have things backwards. If anything, Harry Potter would be a takeoff on Lord of the Rings, not the other way around. LOTR had been a hit decades before Harry Potter came out, and the movies were in the making when Harry Potter mania was just beginning. People calling The Fellowship of the Ring any sort of "spinoff" are horribly wrong. The Fellowship of the Ring deserves the highest marks and I can't wait for the next segment of the series to come out.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the theatre
Review: This version is by far better than what aired in the theatres. I wish that the director--or the production company--would have allowed this version to have been distributed. Without a doubt, the added 30 minutes changes the story for the better, providing a context for the movie that was likely missed by those who did not read the books. Particularly of interest are the additional scenes about the meeting with Galadriel, and the additional footage inside Moria.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Movies
Review: This version of Lord of the Rings keeps loyal to the book rather well. I enjoyed this Peter Jackson's vision of Middle-earth. The actors played their chacters well. I loved the special effects, especially the Ring Wraiths call and the Mines of Moria. The fight scenes made you feel like you were right next to Gandalf protecting the Ring-bearer. I believe Tolien would be very proud of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie I've ever seen!
Review: This version of Peter Jackson's great film should have been the one that appeared in theaters. Having the film more than 3 hours long would have probably earned this movie the Oscar for Best Picture. Otherwise, this film is still great, even on the home screen. It incorporates about 30 minutes more into the film, making Tolkien's world of Middle-earth come alive even more brilliantly. The audio commentaries are great, especially the one including Peter Jackson because he reveals cool details about the 3rd film. The special features on the 2nd and 3rd discs are also amazing! I've had this DVD for 3 months and I still haven't finished all of the bonus features. This version of the film is great because although it still ends with a cliff-hanger, you've seen so much that you don't even think about film 2 or 3 and you sit there just totally baffled at what you have just seen (Like I did). In conclusion this film is the best DVD of 2002 and the best movie I've ever seen!
Rating:
Summary: Best Lord of the Rings Movie ever!
Review: This version of the Lord of the Rings as a movie is the best ever made. Okay some "changes" were necesssary to make it a comercial successful movie, such as reducing "responsibilities" for events to a minimum (result: sombody was held responsible for things in the movie, where somebody else was responsible in the book), Some characters and events (escpecially the first third) are just missing (to make the movie not too long and difficult for NON-Book Readers). They did not mention some locations and events from the first book and also gave some information which were not available until book 2 or 3.
Some Characters for Book 2-3 got also a role in book 1 (movie 1) to substitute characters from the original book (to keep it simple). Also some dialogs did never took place, but that is understandable, if you want to tell the story in a movie.
Nevertheless, they had to sacrifice something to make a good movie to tell tolkiens story with real characters.
Its a fantasy world. You can't expect that somebody spents 100+ million dollars, to make a 1-1 version of a book. A 1-1 version would require to make 3 movies with 3-5 hour length. And after part 1 would nobody (who did NOT read the book) go to watch part 2. Final Comment: Read the books! and if you don't read books, this movie version is the best you can get right now.
Rating:
Summary: This movie is great
Review: This version of the Lord of the Rings is unbelievable! The special effects are supurb, exactly like they are described in the book. The really boring parts of the book are omitted, leaving an action-packed movie at every scene. Thought the DVD is good, I was disapointed to learn that a few important scenes were left off of this version, but are in the extended director's cut version. If you have the extra money and patience to wait, I recommend getting that version so you can experience the full effect of the Lord of the Rings saga.
Rating:
Summary: Much better then the theatrical version!
Review: This version of the movie includes well over 30 minutes of extra footage, the footage that was added was amazing. If you were confused a bit by the movie since they did leave a lot of the explainatory backround out, then you will have a better understanding after watching this. The opening scene is extended, they give more information, the added scenes are amazing. It is like watching a whole new movie. I recommend that everyone if not watch this but own it! It is a masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: Much better than the theatrical release.
Review: This version of the movie is far better than the pared-down version released in the theater. So much more has been added to enhance the storyline and the characterization that this is worth the extra money. I haven't watched all the extras on the third and fourth discs but I don't really care for the behind-the-scenes stuff.
Rating:
Summary: This is it for LOTR Fans
Review: This version reveals and explains so much more than the lesser. It is a shame and a crime that they had to remove so much for the theater. At least in these days that extended versions are available so that the complete works of the cast does not go unseen for years. This is a must. "You cannot pass...." this up! Espeicially if you've read the books.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: This was a brilliant rendition of Tolkin's Fellowship of the Ring. It was amazing how Jackson was able to keep so much of the origional book in the movie. Many times, in other movies based on books, important parts get cut out and silly irrelvant parts get put in, not in this movie. They changed very little and added very little. Arwen, added for gender equality, was just fine, she didn't distroy the story or make it sappy. I have to admit the romance scene with Aragorn just didn't seem to go with the flow of the story and plot, but it showed Aragorn's charcter and I guess they needed it to get romance lovers to the movie. But that part was small and it was just a miniture discomfort to me.
The choice of Elijah Wood as Frodo was a excellent one. Viggo Mortenson also was brilliant was Aragorn. I can't believe that they could get such perfect people to play the parts. Excelent casting! All the characters were just as I imagined and as Tolkin described.
Jackson didn't focus on the special effects, it was the acting that made the movie, not the effects. And because of it, the movie seemed more real and more about the feelings and reactions of the characters than about impressing the audiance with special effects.
So, if you haven't already, GO SEE THIS MOVIE! And also, if you haven't already, READ THE BOOKS! I can't wait for the other movies!
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